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There are numerous things to think about when putting your home on the market, and while preparing for an open house is just one item among many others on the to-do list, it’s a pretty important task that should be given priority. A lot of homeowners believe that their real estate agent will take care of everything related to the open house, but when it comes to actually making the property presentable, it’s up to the seller. This is one of the biggest opportunities you’ll have to make a lasting impression on potential buyers, so you want to make sure you leave them with a positive one. Below are some of the most common mistakes that sellers make in getting a home ready to show at an open house, which often results in losing buyers’ interest to other homes for sale.

Not Putting Effort into Cleaning Up/Getting Rid of Smells

Cleaning up before an open house should seem like a no-brainer, but there are many sellers who don’t make the time to do so and think buyers will just ignore it since the house has so many other great features. In reality, no buyer wants to show up to an open house only to find it cluttered, dirty and smelly. In fact, this is the quickest way to get them to turn right around and leave again with their mind already made up that this isn’t going to be their new home. It isn’t appealing in any way to walk through someone else’s filth, clutter and lingering smells and is also quite distracting.

Leaving Remnants of Your Personal Life Everywhere

Buyers want to be able to envision their own family living and building a future in a home, and that’s hard to do when there are photos everywhere they look of the seller’s family or knick knacks that are indicative of someone else’s style. These things divert attention away from the actual selling highlights of the home. While you don’t want to leave the interior bare and devoid of character, it should be depersonalized as much as possible and furnished with general decorations.

Neglecting the Exterior of the Home

With so many homes for sale on the market at the same time, it’s important to figure out how you’re going to make yours stand out. One of the most obvious ways of doing this is by sprucing up the exterior since it’s the first thing buyers will see when they pull up for an open house, and yet many sellers still neglect this part of the preparation process. Curb appeal has remained one of the most important aspects of home selling for years. Take extra care in picking up the yard, mowing the lawn, trimming the shrubs, planting a few flowers, power washing the driveway, sidewalk and outdoor walls, fixing shutters, etc.

Being Inflexible

Aside from working on the outward appearance of your home before an open house, it’s also helpful to be as flexible as possible with scheduling. Open houses can be an inconvenience at times, like when an agent gives you short notice, but it’s much more likely you’ll sell your home in a timely manner if you’re able to roll with the punches. Another word of advice – don’t make a habit of sticking around during an open house, especially with children and pets, as it can make potential buyers uncomfortable.

Open houses are a great way for sellers and agents to market homes for sale, but it won’t do any good to have possible buyers come to view a property that hasn’t been prepared to be shown in its very best light.